Bonus Jazz Break: 1968 clip of pianist Abdullah Ibrahim

October 19, 2012

Uploaded in mid-August on YouTube, this 1968 clip may be the earliest known clip of Abdullah Ibrahim. In the video, a wiry (all arms and legs) Ibrahim is performing with his band at the time — consisting of John Tchicai, Gato Barbieri, Barre Phillips and Makaya Ntshoko — on German television:

Tchicai, the tall, thin man playing saxophone on that 1968 live set in the video above died last week. Tchicai (Congolese father, who has an interesting story of his own, and a Danish mother) also collaborated with the South African bassist Johnny Dyani. RIP.

Here’s Tchicai performing in April this year (fast forward to about the 1:20 mark):

Hugh Masekela performs a live version of Louis Armstrong’s “Rocking Chair” for The Guardian at Womad this past summer: